Seize Me
by VyxenSkye
Summary: NaruSasu. After an accident during training, Sasuke finds himself confronted with a new enemy, one that can't really be fought: epilepsy. Naruto stays with him, but can the Kyuubi boy's will keep Sasuke in the world?
1. Chapter 1

Seize Me  
By: Hitokiri Musei  
Rated: T

Summary: NaruSasu. After an accident during training, Sasuke finds himself confronted with a new enemy, one that can't really be fought: epilepsy. Naruto stays with him, but can the Kyuubi boy's will keep Sasuke in the world?

I don't own Naruto, although I do quite love the show. Enjoy.

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This is a story that has actually been on the site before, but I took it down due to the fact that I just couldn't seem to write it. However, it is now complete and going back up with day to day updates for the next week, when it will be finished in it's seventh chapter. Enjoy!

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Chapter 1

Naruto yawned widely, pulling off his nightcap. Standing, the blond ninja rubbed at his eyes, and then stretched lazily. Life was good, long hours of sleep, good ramen, and comfortable bed.

Naruto opened a cabinet, and then tapped a finger against his chin. "Hmmm, chicken, beef, oriental, or pork?" The blond grinned. "I haven't had oriental in a while!" Grabbing the instant cup of oriental ramen, Naruto put it in the microwave, pulling milk out of the fridge in the meantime.

He automatically checked the date on the side, satisfied at finding that there were about two weeks left until it spoiled. After pulling out some chopsticks, Naruto sat and stared intently at the microwave, waiting for his ramen to be done.

'Training with Sasuke today, gotta be up to top par!' the blond thought before grabbing his piping hot cup of ramen from the microwave. "Itadakimasu!" Naruto happily dug into his ramen, enjoying the flavors immensely.

After eating, Naruto pulled on his customary orange jumpsuit, choosing to tie the jacket around his waist instead of wearing it. It was really hot out today, and the coat would only make it worse. Naruto strapped on the forehead protector, and then pulled on his shoes. Things had to be perfect for his spar with Sasuke.

Naruto dropped into a few pushups, deciding to stretch out his lean body. As Naruto had grown older, he had grown a lot. His shoulders were broader, he was taller, about 6'2", and he had lost the boyish lines of his face for the sharp ones of a man. Even though he was the youngest of Team 7, and still 17, he was more mature looking. As for his attitude, well, Naruto was Naruto, and that would never change.

Naruto locked his apartment carefully, and then turned and walked towards the training grounds where he knew Sasuke would probably be waiting. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Naruto turned his thoughts to his smaller teammate.

Even though Sasuke had started out as the taller of the two of them, it had changed. While Naruto had grown more muscled and taller with age, Sasuke had remained slender and lean. Sasuke had reached 5'11" and stayed there, making him now the shortest of the group. Sakura had gotten to about 6 foot, just between the two boys.

Naruto grinned. Now that he thought about it, Sasuke was now the delicate one of the team. Even though he was a strong and talented ninja, his smaller frame made him look like he wasn't. Sasuke hated that fact, but he had learned to live with it, and even use it to his advantage on missions. Some ninja were stupid enough to be lured in by a pretty face and a seductive look.

Ah, that had been the time. Sasuke had used his charm to lure a female nin into his clutches, using 'lust-filled' eyes and playful gestures. Naruto himself had caught himself drooling sometimes as Sasuke played with the ninja.

Naruto wouldn't play the fool; he knew that he was falling for the dark-haired Uchiha. While Naruto had always had a thing for Sakura, Sasuke had lingered in his thoughts as well. Naruto was bisexual; he couldn't help looking as the other boy. Sasuke was quite beautiful, in his own special way.

Naruto arrived at the training grounds to see Sasuke sitting in a tree, his eyes closed and fingers laced together behind his head. Naruto grinned, watching the Uchiha silently. He knew that Sasuke was well aware of the fact that he was there, but he wanted to watch him for a moment.

The sunlight played over Sasuke's pale skin and fine-boned features, casting shadows over his face. Naruto moved closer, and then called up to the other. "Hey bastard, you gonna sit there all day, or are we gonna get moving?"

Sasuke finally opened his dark eyes, looking down at the blond ninja. A smirk settled onto his face. "Sure Naruto, whatever you say. As if you could keep up with me."

Naruto growled, putting what he hoped was a fearsome look on his face. "That's what you think bastard, get down here and prove it, _pretty boy_."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and as Naruto blinked the boy appeared in front of him, that smirk still settled on his features. "Just cause I'm pretty doesn't mean you have to hate me."

Naruto raised a brow. 'That was strange for Sasuke to say…'

Sasuke grinned, turning and tossing his bangs away from his face. "Well then, come on, loser. Bring it on, if you think you can handle me."

Naruto grinned, the eyebrow still raised. 'Wow… If I didn't know any better, I would say that Sasuke taunting me…' Naruto chuckled, reaching down to the weapons pouch strapped to his leg. 'Well then, let's get this started.'

* * *

"Come on… _loser_."

Naruto growled angrily, dodging Sasuke's flying kunai and darting closer to the boy. Sasuke easily leapt away from the blond, reaching into his pouch again for another weapon. Sasuke smirked, continuing his taunts. "You are such a _loser_, Naruto, can't even keep up with me."

Naruto let out a cry of rage, moving closer. As Sasuke taunted him he could feel his anger growing at the other, and he let the rage build into power. The two moved until they became mere blurs darting through the air, dodging in and around each other. Naruto drew a few shuriken from his pouch, whirling them towards Sasuke.

The Uchiha dodged them effortlessly, moving back to land on a branch of a high tree. Things grew silent for a moment, and Sasuke moved into a crouch, preparing for anything. Still things were quiet. 'Has Naruto given up?' Sasuke wondered. 'Nah. Naruto's too stubborn for that…'

In that instant an orange blur shot from the tree branches, and Sasuke's right leg went numb as the edge of Naruto's arm slammed into the outside of his upper thigh. Sasuke felt his leg crumple, and he struggled to catch a hold of something. 'Shit! Pressure point!!'

Naruto stood back up as Sasuke fell, waiting for him to catch a hold of the tree. Naruto knew well that Sasuke wouldn't let himself fall for something like that…

And yet, as time went on Naruto's blue eyes widened. Sasuke wasn't grabbing, he was still falling. And damn that ground was far away. Naruto leapt off the branch, diving for his friend. "SASUKE!!"

Time slowed down to a crawl. Naruto was falling after Sasuke, but not fast enough. Sasuke was still struggling to at least get his feet under him, even if the impact would cause a broken leg, or perhaps two. Both knew that if Sasuke impacted anywhere else, it could cause worse problems, maybe even cripple the Uchiha.

The impact sent up dirt and dust, and Naruto lost sight of Sasuke. He didn't even see him hit the ground clearly. Naruto quickly diverted his path, moving so he would land away from where Sasuke had hit, saving the other from further injury.

Silence. Naruto moved forward though the slowly clearing dust, worry and fear raging within him. "Sasuke?" he asked loudly. There was no answer. "Sasuke, come on now, this isn't funny."

A choked gurgle answered the blond.

Naruto's eyes widened as he caught sight of a pale hand lying near him. The fingers were curled into claws, the hand and arm twitching uncontrollably, and as the dust cleared Naruto saw that the rest of Sasuke was doing the same thing.

Naruto watched in shock as Sasuke's back arched uncontrollably, another choked sound coming from his lips. As Naruto pushed back Sasuke's bangs he met eyes that had rolled back until only white was showing. Saliva ran from the corner of Sasuke's mouth as he lost the ability to control his body. Naruto wrinkled his nose reflexively as the acrid smell of urine filled the air. Sasuke had lost control of his bladder.

"Sa-suke…." Naruto said softly. The boy was in shock, he didn't know what to do. He struggled with the need to place his hands over his ears, not wanting to hear Sasuke's gurgles and whimpers as he rode out the seizure. 'I need to get help…' Naruto told himself. 'But… what if Sasuke stops breathing while I'm gone?'

Naruto struggled with himself. If he didn't go, then Sasuke might die. If he did, then Sasuke might die. He didn't know what to do, so he did all he could; he scooped the seizing body into his arms and ran for the hospital.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sakura Haruno, age 18, was currently working at the Konaha hospital, helping out where she was needed, or observing other things that were happening so she would know what to do when she became a full med-nin instead of a nurse. As she was walking towards the cafeteria for something to drink her attention was caught by the doors slamming open and someone running in.

Sakura's seafoam colored eyes widened. Naruto stood there, panting, his arms wrapped around a convulsing Sasuke, struggling to keep a hold on the writhing body in his grasp. "Naruto!"

The boy's cerulean eyes flashed to her, and he let out a helpless sound. Sasuke's own gurgling breath snapped the girl into action, and she grabbed Naruto's sleeve and pulled him towards a gurney. She let out a shout, and a few ninja looked her way. One, a skilled med-nin, let out a cry, and instantly they were into action. Naruto was told to place Sasuke on the bed, where a few doctors pried open Sasuke's clenched jaws and pressed medicine in his mouth.

Another med-nin came forward, pulling Naruto away. The blond fought his grip. "Sasuke! Sasuke! Let me go, I have to stay with him!"

The med-nin shook his head. "No you don't, you have to stay out of their way so they can help your friend. And I'm going to ask you about it, so we can continue to help him, alright?"

Naruto relaxed a fraction of a hair. "Help him. And then I can go to him, right?"

The med-nin nodded. "Of course. Just answer my questions and let the other med-nin's work." At Naruto's nod, the doctor launched into a series of questions. "How long has the seizure lasted?"

Naruto blinked. "Well, it's been… About six minutes now."

The doctor swore softly, but ignored Naruto's look of surprise. "Does he have these seizures often?"

Naruto shook his head. "I've never seen it before. It happened while we were training."

"While you were training? What happened, tell me every detail."

"Well, Sasuke had landed in this tree, and I hit a pressure point, numbed his leg. He fell, and I didn't realize that he wasn't able to grab anything until too late. He hit the ground hard, knocked dirt and dust everywhere. I didn't see him impact clearly, too much dust. When I got to him he was like that." Naruto thought, making sure he didn't miss anything. "Yea, that's all."

"Damn." The doctor turned, looking to where Sasuke's body had finally stopped convulsing, falling limp to the bed. "That means he probably impacted somewhere on his head. This could be a problem."

Naruto squirmed in his position as the bed that Sasuke was on was rolled out of his sight. "Can I follow them?"

The doctor waved his hand dismissively, and Naruto bolted after the gurney. He barely caught up to it as the door was shut. Naruto jiggled the handle, but it was locked. Frowning, he pounded against the window. Sakura, who was standing not far away from Sasuke, turned to look at him. She then moved towards him, opening the door and sliding through it.

Naruto tried to go past her, but she shook her head. "Not right now Naruto. They're trying to stabilize him, make sure that he can breathe fine on his own. What happened?"

"We were training, there was an accident…" Naruto fumbled for the words. He was so afraid for his friend, afraid that he had seriously hurt the other boy. "I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late…" Naruto clenched his hands into fists. "How could I have been so stupid?! I've hurt Sasuke… Really bad…"

Sakura put a gentle hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto…"

The boy's azure eyes focused on her with an intensity that she rarely saw. "It's my fault. If I had realized what was happening sooner, than Sasuke would be fine. If I hadn't let my anger get the better of me…" Naruto trailed off with a growl.

Sakura sighed. "Naruto, please, don't beat yourself up. Accidents happen, and sometimes there's nothing we can do about it. All we have to do is make sure that Sasuke gets better, and both you and I have to be there for him. Okay?"

Naruto echoed Sakura's sigh. "Alright…" The boy's head shot up as the door opened, a few doctors coming out shaking their heads. Naruto took a step forward. "How is he?"

One sighed. "He's have trouble breathing on his own, and has a serious concussion. He'll be out for a while, perhaps for a week or so. We'll have to keep a really close eye on him."

"Can we… see him?" Sakura asked slowly, putting out a hand towards the doctor. "We are his friends after all. We were on the team with him."

The doctor smiled slightly. "We know. You may go in, but if anything looks abnormal, you know to call us, right Sakura? You may be an excellent med-nin, but you have never dealt with anything this critical. Alright?"

The pink-haired nin nodded. "I know. Thank you." With a bob of a bow the girl opened the door.

Naruto nodded to the doctor. "Thanks."

Naruto settled in a seat next to Sasuke's bed. The dark haired shinobi was still on the bed, a breathing mask over his nose and mouth helping him to breathe. His face was paler than normal, if that was at all possible for him. Naruto frowned, putting up a hand to touch Sasuke's. "Sasuke? Come on, buddy, wake up."

Sakura looked down, away from Sasuke's still form. "He's not going to wake up Naruto. He'll be out for some time, after a blow to the head like that."

Naruto sighed, his fingers brushing over the back of Sasuke's hand. Sakura echoed his sigh, standing. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go see if I can dig up some information on what's going on."

Naruto nodded, and a moment later the pink-haired medic was gone. Naruto slowly wound his fingers through Sasuke's, worriedly feeling the limp and cold hand. "I don't know if you can hear me Sasuke…" the blond murmured. "But… I'm sorry. Please be okay. I'll be here when you wake up. I'll never leave you. I promise."

* * *

Naruto watched as Sasuke's eyebrows twitched, and then his coal dark eyes fluttered open. Naruto quickly pulled his fingers from the other boy's, not wanting to scare him away.

Sasuke groaned faintly, but the sound was muffled by the breathing mask that was over his nose and mouth. He blinked heavily, and then looked to the side, meeting bright blue eyes that gleamed with worry. "Sasuke? How are you feeling?"

Sasuke blinked fuzzily. The air felt so heavy, and so did his body. He struggled to stay awake, trying to figure out where he was, what was going on. "N-Nar-uto…"

Naruto was growing more worried by the second. He had never seen Sasuke so disoriented, nor had the dark-haired shinobi's voice ever stuttered. Naruto wasn't sure what to do, or what to think. "Do you need something Sasuke? Should I call the nurse?"

Sasuke was fading fast, Naruto could see it. The other boy's eyes were starting to close even though Naruto could tell he was fighting it with all he was worth. Naruto went out on a limb, reaching out and touching Sasuke's hand, slowly running his fingers over the pale skin. "Easy Sasuke…. Don't fight it; you'll only hurt yourself…."

Sasuke sighed, and then he lost the battle, his dark eyes falling shut and then the tense hand beneath Naruto's fingers fell limp. Naruto sighed, pulling his hand away from the Uchiha's.

After listening to the soft _whoosh_ and _hiss_ as the machine helped Sasuke breathe, Naruto stood, walking from the room. 'I'll be back in a sec…' Naruto thought firmly, as though Sasuke could hear him and would know.

The blond ran into Sakura in the hallway. The pink-haired girl was carrying a small vase with some flowers in it, and she smiled shyly when Naruto raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Thought he could use something to brighten up the room. It gets kind of… boring after a week of seeing just white, you know?"

Naruto grinned. "Oh yes, I know." His cerulean eyes got distant. "Sasuke woke up."

Sakura nearly dropped the vase. "What?! He woke up, and you just left him there?!"

Naruto shook his head. "He didn't last very long, just long enough to realize it was me, and then he was out again. Nothing too special." He frowned. "But he was so out of it, I've never seen him like that. It took him a second to realize that it was me, and then he stuttered." Sakura's pink brows twitched together, and Naruto looked at her. "Have you ever heard him stutter?"

Sakura shook her head truthfully. "I've never heard him hesitate either. He's usually so perceptive." Sakura looked sideways at Naruto. Naruto was a jounin now, just like she and Sasuke, and he usually wore a black outfit and the green vest, but lately he had been wearing his orange ensemble again. The pink-haired girl frowned. "Do you think there's brain damage?"

Naruto's heart sank. If there was, then it was totally his fault. He had crippled Sasuke in the worst way possible. "Let's hope not. I'm thinking that it was just the fact that he's woken up from a concussion."

Sakura nodded. "Let's hope so. Were you on your way back?"

Naruto nodded with a grin. "Just needed a potty break."

Sakura giggled, and then together the two friends headed back to Sasuke's room, Sakura playing with the flowers absentmindedly. "I wonder if he'll like these?"

Naruto snorted. "Sasuke never was one to appreciate flowers, or anything like that for that matter. But who knows, maybe he will."

Sakura shrugged. "Even if he doesn't, I don't care. It's my way of showing that I'm worried about him, and if he doesn't get that, then it's his own fault."

Naruto looked sideways at the girl. "Sakura, you've really grown up."

Sakura blinked. "Huh?"

The blond grinned, lifting his arms to lace his fingers together behind his head. "I mean, you used to be so obsessed with what Sasuke thought of you, it meant the world to you if he even said one good thing about you. Now you could really care less."

Sakura looked away. "I guess that being away from you for all that time I was training with Tsunade-shishou and you were with Jiraiya-san really made me realize what was important in life. My life just doesn't revolve around him like it used to. Sure, I still think that Sasuke is a wonderful guy, but he's not the _most _important thing to me; my career is." She grinned at Naruto. "But he sure does come in a close second, along with you. You are both my friends, and that makes you very important to me."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks Sakura."

"You know Naruto, you've grown up too." Sakura said. "You're more… mellow, I suppose is the word. You're not so loud…" Sakura frowned. "Well, sometimes, but you know when it's appropriate and when it's not."

Naruto grinned. "Training with Jiraiya taught me when it was right to be a big shot, and when it was a good idea to just get it over with and not boast throughout the entire operation." With the flash of a playful grin Naruto released his hands, letting them fall back to his sides. "Even though it is fun to be a big shot, it's sometimes not the best idea."

Sakura giggled, and then pushed open the door to Sasuke's room. The dark-haired boy was still asleep, but this time he was moving, his fingers twitching and eyelids fluttering while he dreamed. "At least he's not so still this time…" Sakura murmured approvingly, setting the vase on the side table.

Naruto nodded. That had been unnerving, the way Sasuke hadn't moved during his week long coma. "It means he's gonna be okay, right?"

Sakura sighed, sitting in one of the plastic chairs at Sasuke's bedside. "Not necessarily. It does mean that there is an improvement; he's not quite as deep in his subconscious as he was earlier. Basically, he's closer to surface. If we tried, I'll bet we could wake him up."

That made the blond feel a little better. "Hopefully he wakes up on his own though, right?"

Sakura nodded. "That's the hope. If he does, then things should be okay. We just have to wait and see how he'll do on his own." Sakura put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Things will work out."

Naruto sighed, reaching out and placing his hand tentatively on Sasuke's limp hand. Sasuke's fingers twitched in response, his eyelids flickering, but he didn't wake. 'Please be okay Sasuke…'


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Naruto sighed, petting the back of Sasuke's hand in silence. The dark-haired boy had been sleeping for some time now, and Naruto was starting to wonder when he would wake. The blond missed the bastard, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

Naruto leaned forward, reaching up to touch Sasuke's face. 'You know… the bastard is kind of… cute…' Naruto sighed, clenching his hand into a fist as he sat back. 'Oh who am I kidding, stupid Uchiha's drop-dead gorgeous.' Naruto frowned. 'I can't believe I'm actually starting to fall for you Sasuke… But… For some reason you just draw me in… That dark attitude, cold feelings, high and mighty ego… It's just… attractive.'

Naruto brushed his fingers over Sasuke's pale cheek, sweeping the black strands away from the boy's face. 'I think… I think I'm starting to love you Sasuke Uchiha. If only you would love me back…'

Naruto closed his eyes, lifting Sasuke's hand and pressing a soft kiss to the knuckles. There was silence for a moment, and then a sound echoed in Naruto's ears, one that he never wanted to hear; the long alarm of a flatline.

The room was filled with activity a moment later, Sasuke's unmoving body the center of it. "We've got a flat-line, come on, let's get a shock to his heart!"

A few med-nin's placed their hands against Sasuke's chest, and then a shock of chakra flared. Sasuke's back arched slightly, and then he fell back to the bed. The alarm gave a jerk, and then returned to its long sound. Naruto could feel tears filling his eyes, his hands clenched into white fists. 'Come on Sasuke… Hold on…'

The chakra shock was applied again, and again Sasuke's form jerked. "More power!" One med-nin cried.

Another shook his head. "If we give him any more we'll fry his heart and chakra systems!"

The one growled. "What have we got to lose?"

Shaking his head, the other med-nin applied his hands to Sasuke's chest, joined a moment later by the other two. The three sets of hands paused, and then administered the shock to Sasuke's heart. Sasuke's body surged upwards again, and then fell back to the bed, still.

Naruto barely realized what was happening. Everything was in a blur, his hands held over his mouth, tears rolling down his face. 'No… please no…'

"Sasuke Uchiha, age 17. Time of death, 3:21 p.m. on July 20."

'Three days…' Naruto thought vaguely. 'Three days and he would have been 18… We could have started a relationship… I never got to… Never got to tell him that I… I love him…'

Naruto fell to his knees, a hand still held over his mouth. He was shaking, but he could barely feel his body. A med-nin was talking to him, but he couldn't hear them. All he could see was Sasuke's face, peaceful in death. "No… Please no… Sasuke…" The blond stood, going to stand beside the bed.

Silently, Naruto reached forward to touch Sasuke's face, his tears falling down to hit Sasuke's pale face, sliding down the Uchiha's cheeks like they were his own tears. "Come on Sasuke… Wake up… Please… Wake up…"

(A/N: Now I don't know if this is actually how they would do this, but I would like to assume that they would use chakra to revive someone.)

* * *

Naruto shot straight up with a gasp, lunging backwards into the chair he was sitting in. Panting, the blond looked around, and then brought up a shaking hand to cover tear-wet eyes. 'Just a dream…'

Due to lack of sleep over the past week because he had been at Sasuke's side, Naruto had fallen asleep against the Uchiha's bed. Naruto sighed, wiping away his tears and looking back to Sasuke. His cerulean eyes then widened.

Sasuke's eyes were open, and he was staring at Naruto silently. Naruto could pick up on confusion in the other's dark eyes, and he frowned. "Sasuke? Is something wrong?"

The Uchiha looked down at his hand, and then Naruto knew, with a shock, what had caused Sasuke to give him that look. Naruto had fallen asleep while holding Sasuke's hand, and the boy must have woken up while Naruto was still asleep. Sasuke's coal-colored eyes then focused back on the blond's face. "Why?"

Naruto blinked, confused. "Why what?"

"Why were you… crying?"

Naruto lifted a hand to scratch at the back of his head, trying to play off being embarrassed, trying desperately to forget what he had seen. "Ah, well, just a dream, you know? Sometimes stuff happens."

Sasuke tilted his head slightly, blinking slowly. This put Naruto under the impression that the Uchiha wasn't quite fully awake, he was too…lethargic, and yet, talkative; at least for Sasuke. "What did you see?"

Naruto's eyes grew helpless. He didn't really want to say it, but he knew that Sasuke would keep asking until he said it. "I saw… You. You died." Naruto sighed. "I was sitting at your bedside, just like I am now, and your heart stopped. They couldn't bring you back."

Sasuke blinked again, and then Naruto saw something from the Uchiha that he rarely saw; a smile. The corners of Sasuke's lips curved upwards slightly, and Sasuke reached out a hand to touch Naruto's face. A single tear had slipped down Naruto's face, and Sasuke's pale fingers gently swiped it away. "I won't die…" Sasuke said softly. "I can't. I have too much to do, too much to say before I die. Don't worry."

Naruto was in shock. What in hell was going on?! The boy narrowed his eyes. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Sasuke?"

To his surprise Sasuke chuckled. "What? Can't I be caring?"

"No."

Sasuke blinked, all the humor gone from his face. "Why?"

"It's just…" Naruto shuddered slightly. "Weird." Naruto raised a golden colored eyebrow, looking back to Sasuke. "You know? You just… you aren't caring, you don't care about anyone else, and that's just the way you are. Now come on, be yourself."

Sasuke sighed. "That's not true Naruto… I do care; I just don't like to show it. When Itachi slaughtered my family, I told myself that I had to close up, not show any emotions, because in the end, they only resulted in pain."

Naruto's azure eyes widened. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked softly. "You never talk about what happened. Hell, you never _talk_."

"Because of what happened. This accident. I don't know what's going to happen to me. I really don't know if I'm going to die or not. And…" Sasuke took a shuddering breath. "And I have some things to say before I die."

"You won't die." Naruto said firmly. "You said so yourself. You're too strong to just die."

"No Naruto, quiet for once. Just let me get this out." Sasuke said sharply, his dark eyes snapping to Naruto's face. "You… You were the bane of my existence. You were everything that I hated, loud, obnoxious, annoying. In truth, you were everything that I wasn't, and something that I wanted to be. I didn't have much use for emotions, but some part of me wanted to be able to talk, to be loud, and to have fun. I hated you for that, for the longest time. Eventually I learned to tolerate you, but… I think it's turned into something more."

Sasuke shook his head slightly. "Over the years, things grew different between the three of us, you, me, and Sakura. Just like when Sakura learned that I would never feel for her, and turned away to go with Lee." Sasuke smiled slightly. "That shocked us all, didn't it? Sakura had never liked Lee, but now she's happy with him, maybe even considering getting married to him."

Naruto sighed. "Sasuke, I think you're just not feeling like yourself, you're talking strangely." The blond started to stand; there was no way that Sasuke had any idea what was happening. Maybe he was delirious or something. "I think I'm going to go home, get some sleep."

Sasuke reached out a hand, grabbing Naruto's. "No. Please, stay. Don't leave me."

Naruto sighed, staring at the floor. "Sasuke, please, you'll feel better after some sleep."

"No!" Sasuke said sharply, tugging on Naruto's hand. "I've slept enough, please, just….don't….go…"

Naruto could hear the heart monitor speeding up as Sasuke's heart beat faster, and the blond stopped. Sasuke's fingers suddenly fell limply from Naruto's, and the boy turned slowly to see Sasuke's dark eyes rolling up into his head. Naruto let out a sharp breath when he heard the sound that had first started this mess; the choked gurgle that echoed from Sasuke's throat.

Sasuke's body jerked, seizing on the bed. Naruto could tell that he was trying to cry out, but nothing would come from jerking and seizing muscles. Naruto let out a cry of his own, trying to call attention to the room.

Sakura rushed in, and then swore loudly, turning and calling for other med-nins. The heart monitor was going crazy as Sasuke's heart sped past Naruto's expectations, Sasuke's back arching, limbs twitching crazily.

Naruto found himself being forcibly shoved from the room, and he fought them. "No! I need to stay with him! Don't make me leave him!!"

Sakura's hands grabbed onto his arm. "Come on Naruto, please! They have to be able to take care of him, and we'll only be in the way!" Naruto looked down into her pleading sea-foam colored eyes. "Please. If you love him, come with me."

Naruto's eyes widened, everything slammed to a halt. "How did you…"

Sakura smiled. "Later, right now, we need to get out of their way so they can take care of Sasuke. Okay?"

Naruto nodded faintly, allowing her to lead him from the room. Everything was in a blur. Sasuke was having another seizure, Sakura knew his precious secret, and Sasuke had been talking to him freely… almost as if… he was going to say something important, something that Naruto had been waiting to hear…

What in the hell was going on?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sakura and Naruto stopped not far outside of Sasuke's room, and Sakura turned to look back towards the door, worry in her eyes. Naruto gulped heavily, and then looked to Sakura. "How did you know Sakura?"

The pink-haired med-nin turned to her former teammate with a small smile. "I can see it in your eyes every time you look at him Naruto. It's obvious, the look in your eyes. I know that you feel deeply for him, but you need to tell him."

Naruto winced slightly. "Didn't realize I was that obvious. But… Sakura, how can I tell him? There's no way he'd like an idiot like me, I mean, come on, we've been rivals since we were in the academy, and our relationship started out as a hate-hate thing!"

Sakura smiled, giggling slightly. "Sure it did, but you two got along well enough, and even became friends. Haven't you ever noticed? Sasuke loves you too Naruto, and I'm sure he's afraid of the very same thing you are; rejection. Sasuke's had to deal with a lot in his life, and being rejected is the last thing he wants. So he's afraid to say what he feels, because he thinks it will only lead to heartbreak." Sakura shook her head slightly, smiling. "He's always been like that; show no emotion. But as time went on, I watched him come out of his shell, I saw as he started to smile more. And not just those smirks he has, but true smiles. And, at the time, as much as I wanted to say that he smiled at me, it was always you. _You_ brought out Sasuke's emotions, _you_ turned him into the man he is now."

Naruto blinked, a little shocked. He had never heard the full story of Sasuke's past, the other liked to keep it in the dark. What he did know was that Sasuke's older brother had killed his entire family, but he didn't know much past that. That event had caused Sasuke to lock away his heart, and to hear the proof of the fact that he, Naruto, was slowly breaking that cage was a bit of a shock. "Do you really think so Sakura?"

The girl nodded. "Of course. Now that Sasuke's had this… problem, I really think you should bring it up, because he'll need all the support he can get right now. Alright?"

Naruto looked down, and Sakura sighed. Naruto turned his cerulean eyes back on her. "Right before the seizure, Sasuke was talking to me. Actually _talking_. He seemed like he was going to say something important, but stupid me, I thought he was just delirious or something, I was going to leave. That's when he went into convulsions." Naruto looked down. "I should have stayed. I should have listened."

Sakura sighed again, reaching forward and putting a hand on the blond's shoulder. "Nothing is your fault Naruto; trust me, that would have been weird for me too. Sasuke isn't really a talker." Sakura smiled. "Once he wakes, just go in there and tell him what you have to say. Things will work out in the end."

Naruto sighed, looking back towards the room that Sasuke was inside. "I sure hope they do Sakura…"

* * *

Naruto was silent, listening quietly to the _whoosh_ and _hiss_ of the breathing machine, the steady _beep-beep-beep_ of the heart monitor. Sasuke was still on the bed, having been unconscious for nearly two days now. Naruto was worried out of his mind, gently holding Sasuke's limp right hand, stroking the pale skin.

Sakura had been in about every hour, but as much as the kunoichi wanted to stay with her friends, she did have work to do in the hospital, so she stopped in when she could, sometimes bringing Naruto something to drink, or maybe some sort of snack. She knew that the blond wouldn't leave Sasuke's side, and she would respect that.

Naruto sighed, laying his head down on the mattress. He was tired, but he wouldn't leave Sasuke. He didn't want the dark-haired shinobi to wake up and find himself alone, even though he knew that Sasuke would be fine here in the hospital. Perhaps he would only close his eyes for… a… moment….

* * *

Naruto woke with a start, sitting up straight. He quickly assessed everything around him, finding it to all be in order. Sasuke was still sleeping, the heart monitor was still going, and everything was fine. Naruto stretched slightly, and then placed his hand back on Sasuke's.

It was then that the blond blinked. Sasuke's hand was cold, startlingly so. Naruto frowned deeper, lifting his former teammate's hand and rubbing at his skin in an attempt to warm him up.

Sakura walked in at that moment, Lee not far behind her. Naruto glanced up as he heard the door open, but continued with his rubbing of Sasuke's hand. Sakura blinked. "Naruto? What's wrong?"

Naruto frowned. "His hands are so cold Sakura…"

The pink-haired girl copied Naruto's frown, though she sat on Sasuke's other side without a word. "Perhaps he's just cold Naruto, don't worry." Sakura pulled the blanket up a little higher on Sasuke's chest with a smile. "We just need to make sure that he's nice and warm."

Naruto nodded slightly, but he continued to rub Sasuke's hand silently. Lee smiled at the blond. "Nice to see you again Naruto. How are you doing?"

Naruto grinned at the black-haired man. "Great, nice to see you too Lee. How are things going?"

"Nothing could go wrong, I have my beautiful Sakura at my side," the other answered confidently, and Naruto chuckled slightly. Lee tilted his head. "And you Naruto, you would feel better if you had your Sasuke by your side, ne?"

Naruto blinked in shock, looking up at the man. "Wha? You too Lee?"

The green-clad man grinned. Even though his relationship with Sakura had calmed down his… well… personality a bit, he still was fond of the color green, and was wearing a green T-shirt. Lee chuckled slightly. "It is like my pink Angel says, it's in your eyes. And I just have a talent for seeing the beautiful works of love!"

Sakura shook her head slightly, but she was smiling. She had grown to like the ninja, even though she had originally thought he was the weirdest person she had ever met. Funny, how love could work out in the end. Sakura fell in love with Lee, Naruto with Sasuke, and, surprisingly, Sasuke with Naruto. 'I guess that old saying is right…' Sakura thought. 'Love does work in mysterious ways.'

At that moment there was a groan from the dark-haired shinobi on the bed, causing Naruto to clench his hand around Sasuke's. Sakura put a hand on Lee's arm, and the jounin nodded, following her from the room. They would leave Naruto to do what he had to do in private.

"We'll come back in a few hours Naruto." Sakura said on their way out. She saw the blond nod, but now his attention was fully on Sasuke.

Naruto tightened his hold on Sasuke's hand. "Sasuke?"

The Uchiha's dark eyes fluttered open slowly, and he turned to look at Naruto. The blond jounin let out a sigh of relief, smiling at the other man. "Oh Sasuke, I was so worried about you, thank god you're okay…"

Sasuke blinked fuzzily, and then Naruto felt him squeeze his hand. "I… I –" Sasuke swallowed slowly, and Naruto reached for the glass of water that was sitting on the bedside table, reaching forward and sliding the breathing mask down to Sasuke's chin.

"Here, drink."

Sasuke gulped the water greedily, and Naruto pulled it back, replacing the breathing mask over the raven-haired man's mouth and nose as he did. Sasuke breathed for a moment, and then tried again. "I'm… sorry…" His voice was rough, but came out much easier this time.

Naruto shook his head. "It's not your fault Sasuke, don't be sorry. I'm the one who should be sorry." The blond shook his head. "I didn't listen to you, and I should have been. I'm sorry." Sasuke smiled slightly, and then glanced down to where Naruto had a hold of his hand. Naruto grinned, and then lifted Sasuke's hand, gently pressing a kiss to the pale knuckles. "Can you forgive me?"

Naruto didn't turn away the entire time, his cerulean eyes locked with Sasuke's dark ones. The Uchiha's eyes were currently wide in shock, and Naruto could feel him shaking through the grip that he had on the other's hand. "N-Naruto…"

The blond grinned, a dazzling fox grin that was one of Naruto's biggest attributes. Sasuke flushed, and Naruto laughed. "I can't believe you blushed! The great Sasuke Uchiha, blushing…" Naruto laughed again, and then shook his head slightly. "Now that's something I don't think I'll forget soon."

"Are you… okay?" Sasuke asked slowly, still in shock.

Naruto nodded. "Of course I am. But people always tend to do strange things… when they're in love." Naruto raised his eyes to Sasuke's face, and was surprised and slightly frightened to see tears pouring down Sasuke's pale cheeks. "Sasuke?! What did I say, what's wrong?!"

Sasuke shook his head, stubbornly wiping away his tears. "Stupid tears…" Sasuke sighed shakily, and then smiled. "Sorry."

Naruto grinned. "You don't have to be. You're only human Sasuke, don't push yourself too much." Naruto's face gentled. "Sasuke, may I kiss you?"

Sasuke's eyelids fell to half-mast. "You'll have to move this mask."

Naruto grinned. "Oh, I wouldn't like anything more…" Naruto slid the mask down to Sasuke's chin, and then locked lips with the Uchiha, caressing the other's lips. Sasuke's hand rose to clench in Naruto's spiky hair, his eyes sliding closed. But as quickly as the kiss began, it was over, and Naruto was replacing the mask on Sasuke's face. "Can't have that off for too long," the jounin muttered.

Sasuke breathed deeply for a moment, and then smiled, closing his eyes and squeezing Naruto's hand. 'I think I've finally found where I belong…'

"I love you Sasuke."

Sasuke smiled. "Love you too Naruto."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Naruto, I want you to stay with him."

Naruto looked up, a little startled at the request. "What?"

"We haven't been able to find a way to stop these seizures that Sasuke keeps having, and we need someone to stay with him in case it happens again. I've decided that you will be living with him for the time being, at least until we can find a way to put a stop to these." Tsunade's eyes were deadly serious. "You've had training in the last few days, have you not?"

Naruto nodded. "Sakura's been showing me what to do if anything happens."

The woman nodded. "Good. Then you should be able to handle anything that occurs. If you have trouble, the Uchiha complex is not far from the hospital and Hokage Tower, you can bring him to either place if needed." She stood, walking around the desk and depositing something into Naruto's hand. "Now, you'll need this."

Naruto looked at the small bottle in his hand, blinking curiously and then looking up into Tsunade's honey brown eyes. "What's this for baa-chan?"

The woman rolled her eyes at the nickname, but answered nonetheless. "It will help him sleep, and keep him calm when he gets worked up. It's important that we keep him stable, severe emotion or stimuli could cause the seizures to return, and if that happens then something could be damaged."

The blond jounin felt his heart skip a beat at this news. He didn't want anything to happen to Sasuke, not now that he had finally gotten together with the beautiful Uchiha. He nodded, clenching his hand around the bottle. "Right. Thanks baa-chan."

Tsunade chuckled slightly, shaking her head. "I know that you care for him, Naruto, and I promise, we will not let him die."

Naruto grinned, but any response he might have was cut off as there was a knock at the door and it opened to reveal Sakura, who smiled. "Naruto, Sasuke's waiting for you."

The blond's grin widened and he turned, running towards his pink-haired friend. "Thanks Sakura. See you later, baa-chan!"

Tsunade shook her head as he ran out of the room, looking to Sakura as the girl walked further into the room. "Do you think they'll be alright, Tsunade-shishou?"

The blonde Hokage sighed slightly, turning to look out the window towards Hokage Mountain. "I can only hope so, Sakura. That's all we can do."

* * *

Sasuke breathed deep, a small smile on his face. Naruto grinned, stretching his arms. "Man, it's nice to have you out of the hospital Sasuke." The blond looked to the black-haired jounin standing beside him. "What do you say we go get some ramen, I'm starved!" 

Sasuke chuckled slightly, but then nodded. "I guess so."

Naruto reached out, grabbing Sasuke's hand and pulling him along with him. Sasuke blinked, staring down at their joined hands. Then the raven-haired boy smiled, playfully twining his fingers with Naruto's.

The blond looked to Sasuke with a small look of shock on his features, and then grinned foxily. "Wow, never expected that from you Sasuke."

To Naruto's surprise, Sasuke blushed, looking away from him. Naruto grinned again, and then sat down on the stool, looking up to the man standing behind the counter. "I'll have… um… beef, and what'll you have Sasuke?"

"Pork," Sasuke murmured, smiling at the man.

"Coming right up."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke, resting his chin on a hand, leaning against his elbow. "So Sasuke, how are you feeling?"

Sasuke sighed, lacing his fingers together and adopting the familiar position that he often assumed. "Better, but I can still feel the effects of what happened. My muscles are tired, and I'll have to train hard to get back to my old efficiency."

Naruto grinned. "Well I can help you with that, seeing how I'm so much better than you are."

The dark-haired Uchiha sensed the jibe and knew that Naruto was trying to get him to fight back. He took the bait with a smirk, somewhat glad to have one of his normal spats with the blond knucklehead. "Really now? Then how come I beat you every time we spar, _loser_?"  
Naruto growled, though his blue eyes showed how he was really feeling. "You only get lucky. I'm only holding back cause I don't want to damage your pretty Uchiha self."

Sasuke had to laugh at that, feeling back in the normal routine of things. He looked up as a bowl of steaming hot ramen was placed in front of him, and lifted his chopsticks to break them.

Naruto let out a whoop. "Alright, the best ramen in Konoha!! Itadakimasu!!" He then broke apart his chopsticks and happily dug in, slurping up the noodles with reckless abandon.

Sasuke chuckled lightly, murmuring the word and continuing at a much calmer pace, though he did have to admit, this place did have some good ramen. They finished before long and left the small shop, walking out into the streets once more. Sasuke was looking around quietly, his dark eyes observing his surroundings when he felt a brush against his hand.

Naruto's hand was warm and gentle as the taller boy wrapped his fingers around Sasuke's more delicate hand. Sasuke smiled, weaving his fingers through Naruto's and taking a few steps closer to him as he did. Naruto grinned at this, his blue eyes shining with happiness.

It amazed Naruto how small Sasuke's hand seemed compared to his own. Sure, Sasuke was smaller than himself, lean and wiry where Naruto was tall and muscular, but he was by no means scrawny. His hands, however, they were rather feminine. They were soft and gentle when he wanted them to be, but Naruto could feel the calluses on his palm and fingertips from wielding kunai and various ninja weaponry. There were also small burns, no doubt obtain from practicing his fire jutsus.

Sasuke looked over at him, curiously watching as the taller ninja let his eyes travel over their clasped hands. He blinked, looking back up to Naruto's blue eyes. "Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

The Uchiha smiled slightly. "Nothing…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, and then shook his head, bringing their hands up to kiss the back of Sasuke's hand gently. "You make me wonder sometimes, Sasuke…" He grinned foxily. "But that's what makes me love you!"

Sasuke's cheeks flushed faintly, but he didn't say anything, only looked away from his friend. Naruto laughed, yanking Sasuke to his side and hugging him tightly. "Come on Sasuke, loosen up! You don't have to be so uptight all the time!"

The raven-haired boy punched him. "Quit it Naruto! Put me down!"

Naruto grinned, lifting Sasuke's feet off the ground and swinging him back and forth slightly. "Saaaaasuuuuuukkkkkeeee!!!"

"NARUTO!!"

The blond laughed happily, and then set Sasuke on his feet, crying out and catching the Uchiha as his head dropped back and then his knees buckled and he nearly hit the ground. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke's knuckles were white as he clung to Naruto's broad shoulders, his eyes a little wide and breathing a little panicked. Naruto held him close, his strong arms around the other's smaller waist. Sasuke calmed his breathing slowly, looking up into Naruto's eyes with frightened black orbs.

Naruto brushed the black strands that had fallen into Sasuke's face behind his ear. "Are you alright Sasuke? What happened?"

Sasuke's voice was a little shaky as he spoke next. "I… I don't know. I just… couldn't stand all of the sudden…"

The blond frowned, not taking any chances as he swept Sasuke up into his arms, cradling him bridal style. Sasuke didn't protest, his heart still pounding in his chest as he shook faintly, a little frightened by his body's uncontrollable reactions.

He didn't stop shaking the whole way home.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Naruto sighed, running a hand through his blond hair as he sat out in Sasuke's living room. Whatever had happened out there, it had scared Sasuke, and the Uchiha had been unable to do much once Naruto had gotten him home. The fox had held him for a long time, whispering comforts into his ear, and then finally getting Sasuke to calm down and stop trembling.

It hadn't been long after that that Naruto managed to get his medicine into him, and the concoction had sent him into sleep, his head against Naruto's shoulder.

Now Sasuke lay in his bed, sound asleep and dreaming, his eyelids fluttering periodically as he dreamed. Naruto had sat with him for some time, making sure that he would sleep undisturbed, and then he had left to make himself comfortable in the living room, not knowing where he could sleep.

The entire Uchiha complex felt… haunted. Naruto didn't want to use the word because of what it implied, considering the past events, but there was no other word for it. Every home and building there was empty and old, dusty and filled with cobwebs and other such things. It felt like a ghost town; again, for lack of better words.

Only the main house had any sort of light to it, and that was only because Sasuke still lived there. Quite frankly, if Naruto had known that the complex felt this way, he would have offered Sasuke an alternative a long time ago. He didn't know how the Uchiha could stand living in such a cold, empty place.

Another sigh escaped his lips as he lay on his side on the couch, curling up and trying to get some sleep. He didn't think he'd be able to, but he ought to try, at the very least.

* * *

He was awoken abruptly in the middle of the night; his mind whirling and senses tingling. There was no obvious reason for his awakening, but some part of him thought that something was wrong with Sasuke, and so he got up, moving quickly through the house towards Sasuke's room. 

He pushed open the door to see Sasuke sitting up in bed, staring towards the wall silently. He moved forward, putting a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and shaking him slightly. "Sasuke?"

Dark eyes moved to his, and Sasuke shivered faintly. "Naruto…"

"Are you alright? What happened? Why aren't you still sleeping?" Naruto questioned, folding his long legs and settling down beside Sasuke.

Sasuke didn't say anything for a few moments, and then he shook his head slightly, blinking. "Naruto? What happened?"

That was a bit of a shock. Naruto blinked, bewildered. "What do you mean what happened? I walked in here to see you sitting here, staring at the wall."

Sasuke seemed confused. "You…did? The last thing I remember is waking up…" His eyes grew a little frightened. "I don't remember sitting up Naruto. Or you coming in the room."

Naruto swore softly at that, and his fingers clenching on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke's breathing had sped up a little by now, his air very frightened as he stared into the space over Naruto's left shoulder.

The blond frowned, shaking Sasuke's shoulder. "Sasuke?" There was no response. "Sasuke, stay with me!"

Sasuke snapped to attention, looking into Naruto's blue eyes. "Naruto…" he whispered, his voice shakier and more child-like than Naruto had ever heard it. "Naruto, I'm scared."

Some part of Naruto's heart wilted at that. Sasuke would never normally admit something like that, for it to warrant those words, Sasuke had to be terrified. The jounin moved closer, wrapping Sasuke in his arms and holding him close to his chest. "It's alright, Sasuke… I'm here, and I won't let anything happen to you…"

Sasuke's arms snuck around Naruto's back, his hands clenching in the fabric over his shoulders. The Uchiha buried his face in Naruto's shoulder, holding back the fearful tears that threatened to escape.

"Stay with me, Naruto…"

Naruto nodded, slowly lowering them down to Sasuke's bed, pulling the blankets over their bodies. "Sleep, Sasuke, I will watch over you. I won't leave, I promise."

Sasuke curled up against Naruto's chest, his cheek against his warm collarbone and his right hand entangled in the shirt over the other's heart. He nodded off to the sound of Naruto's breath, strong and even in his ear.

Naruto did not sleep that night, worry for the raven-haired man lying against his chest stealing his rest from him.

* * *

Naruto awoke to warmth surrounding him. He breathed in deeply, shifting slightly beneath the covers and then going still once more. He could feel a warm weight on his chest, and he opened his eyes to see black hair spilling across his chest, tickling his throat and moving along his shirt. 

He smiled, bringing up a hand to brush it over Sasuke's soft hair, smoothing the dark strands away from the boy's face as he looked into Sasuke's peaceful features. It wasn't often that he got to see Sasuke like this, after all, he wanted to treasure it while he could.

Sasuke's face was totally and completely relaxed, eyes moving beneath his eyelids as he dreamed. His dark lashes were just barely brushing his pale cheeks, his soft pink lips parted slightly for his breath, warm and spicy. Naruto breathed deep, the smell of spice and warmth; fire, coming to him.

Naruto grinned. Sasuke smelled like his favorite element.

The blond continued to run his fingers through Sasuke's hair silently, staring up at the ceiling as he did. Sasuke shifted against his body, moving closer and then going still once more, breathing deep and then sighing faintly. Naruto felt a hand against his side twitch and then go still and he smiled again, resisting a chuckle.

He lost track of time as they lay there, but after a while he had to get up; the bathroom was calling his name. He carefully worked his way out from under Sasuke's body, leaving the room and going to the bathroom.

On the way back to the bedroom he heard something. A very soft thump... Naruto swallowed, hearing something that sounded like a struggling human breath. Apprehension prickled at the back of his neck as he moved into the bedroom. He could barely see, but he could see the pile of Sasuke's body on the bed in front of him.

He dropped to his knees and lifted that slight weight, half-cradling it to his chest as it twitched and shuddered and spasmed. Sasuke's head fell backward over Naruto's arm, and the little light coming from the window washed over his face, casting shadows over slack features and half-open eyes that were rolled back until they're totally white.

Sasuke made this pitiful little gagging sound, his parted lips pale in the soft white light. Naruto's heart twisted into a cold knot in his chest, he could only think of Sasuke as he jerked and rode out the seizure, his fragile body seemingly ready to break apart in Naruto's arms.

'It won't stop!' Naruto thought frantically after what seemed forever. He had never felt so helpless in his life, he wasn't supposed to touch Sasuke, it could hurt them both. Blood ran from the Uchiha's nose, the soft chokes and whimpers still echoing from his spasaming throat.

And then it was suddenly over. Sasuke grew still, falling back against the blankets that Naruto had bunched underneath him to keep him from injuring himself. Naruto moved forward slowly, but just as he prepared to touch the Uchiha he suddenly stiffened and his arms and legs moved towards his body again.

'No…'

And the seizure began again.


	7. Chapter 7

this is the final chapter, and yes, there is character death involved. (yes, i killed sasuke) I know, you all hate me now, but thanks for reading anyway! Hope you liked it!

* * *

Chapter 7

Naruto was sobbing, holding Sasuke to him, no longer paying attention to the rules that Tsunade and Sakura had given him. Sasuke wasn't shaking as violently as he had been, but the seizure still went on, Sasuke's eyes still shining with white rather than the beautiful obsidian orbs that Naruto loved.

It seemed like forever when Naruto could finally feel that Sasuke had stopped shaking enough for him to take the Uchiha to the hospital. He had tried to move several times, but Sasuke's violent spasams had stopped him from getting far from fear of dropping the black-haired boy.

He carefully hefted Sasuke into his arms, pulling the still slightly shivering boy against his chest and standing. Sasuke struggled weakly, his head moving back and forth, and Naruto looked down at him.

Those eyes that he loved, the deep black eyes that shone with tears, met his own blue eyes. Sasuke smiled slightly, the blood dripping from his mouth and nose ruining the image. His voice, when he managed to get it out, was weak and little more than a whisper.

"T-thank you… I… I l-love you… N-Naru….to…"

Sasuke's head fell back, his body going completely limp.

Naruto felt his heart stop, and he shook Sasuke slightly. "Sasuke?"

There was no response.

"Sasuke, answer me! Don't you do this, open your eyes!" Naruto called frantically, shaking Sasuke as he sank to his knees on the cold wooden floor. "Sasuke, please!"

Panic took a hold of Naruto, and he frantically began to perform CPR, his mind not comprehending that the only way to save Sasuke now would be to find the Hokage. All he could think of was that if he could get Sasuke to breathe again, everything would be okay.

"Please…" Naruto pleaded as he pressed on Naruto's chest. "Breathe for me, Sasuke, please…"

His tears fell down onto Sasuke's face, dripping down the pale cheeks and across his throat. He continued until his wrists ached and his lungs burned, and then collapsed across Sasuke's chest, sobbing into his shirt.

"Sasuke… Sasuke, come back… please, come back… don't leave me…"

Naruto leaned away slowly, looking down at Sasuke's face. The Uchiha was at complete peace, a small smile on his bloodied lips and his face relaxed. He was happy. Naruto choked back his tears, brushing the black strands away from the other's pale face with a shaking hand.

"You're welcome, Sasuke… I don't know why you thanked me, but… you're welcome…" He smiled, gathering the limp body to his chest and rocking slowly back and forth, his nose buried in the Uchiha's raven hair. "And I love you too…"

* * *

Sakura walked toward the Uchiha main house, feeling as though a cold hand had wrapped around her heart and was squeezing relentlessly. Something in her knew that something was wrong, and yet she couldn't seem to figure out what it was. 

She tapped on the door to let them know that she was there, and there was no answer. She had assumed that the pair would be up and about, considering that it was nearly halfway through the day. Sasuke had never been a late sleeper by any means, even though Naruto was no morning person.

The pink-haired girl slowly opened the door, cautious. As she did she instantly was hit with the feeling of wrongness, stronger than it had been outside. Panic flooded through her body as she realized that no one had been up in the house yet.

She threw open the door, her caution gone, and ran through the house towards Sasuke's bedroom. The door was ajar, not enough for her to see in, but enough for her to easily push it open with little more than a touch.

Her hands instantly flew to her mouth.

Naruto was crouching on the bed in the center of the room, his arms wrapped around a stiffening Sasuke. He was completely still, his face buried against Sasuke's neck, his shoulders shaking slightly as he no doubt cried against the Uchiha.

Sakura took a step forward, and then spoke. "N-Naruto?"

The boy looked up, showing blue eyes that were bloodshot and still filled with tears, the wetness trailing down his whiskered cheeks. He choked slightly. "He's gone, Sakura… I… I couldn't save him… he's gone…"

He returned to crying against Sasuke's neck.

Sakura moved forward, looking Sasuke over to see if there was any chance that he could be saved. When she touched his wrist she found his skin cold and his fingers stiff; rigor mortis had already set in, he had been dead for a while now. He was gone, and there was no bringing him back.

She lowered her head, tears gathering in her eyes and falling. Though she didn't know the circumstances, it was easy to see that Sasuke had no doubt died in Naruto's arms, and the blond had been unable to do anything about it. She did not want to ask what had happened, though her mind wondered.

She placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, standing to go and fetch the Hokage so they could ready Sasuke for burial. "I'm sorry, Naruto…"

Sakura left him there, and Naruto stayed there until Tsunade came an hour later to take Sasuke's body from him. The Hokage could do nothing more than offer her apologies, but Naruto simply watched silently, his eyes dark.

_'Goodbye Sasuke…'_

* * *

Many years later, as the new Hokage took up the position and the people of Konoha began to settle down with their new leader, they all learned one thing about this person. 

Once a year, around springtime, on a certain day, he would disappear. None of his ANBU would go with him, and no one ever knew where he went. The blond would simply vanish and then reappear the next day as though nothing had happened.

Sakura Haruno, one of the Hokage's most trusted friends, was often asked what became of him on that day, and she would do nothing more than smile sadly and look off into the distance.

"Just to visit an old friend."


End file.
